~Chapter 17~

Elsa

Everything hurt. From my head to my feet, pain overwhelmed my senses on my cheek. I sat up groaning seeing my hands clapped in metal gauntlet bindings. What happened? Last thing I knew was leaving my parents in the past and using the Ring of Time to return home with Niklas. What was going on? I sat up looking around seeing Anna unconscious on the ground beside me. My hands were weighed down and heavy with the bindings as I started fiddling with them to see if I could get them off. Why was I put in these unless something bad happened? My focus became freezing the metal that encapsulated my hands and it only took a few minutes before the metal began to crack and become brittle from my frost. Once I could see the metal weakening, I tapped the gauntlets on the ground, and pieces of metal shattered off my hands quickly. As I rubbed my wrists rising to my feet, Anna groaned beside me slowly sitting up bringing a hand to her head.

"Anna?" I said feeling relieved offering her my hand to get up.

I was ready to scold her for visiting me in whatever state I was previously in. It must have been bad if Niklas ordered to have me in hand-clad irons. I reached for her hand but she slapped it away.

"Anna, what's wrong?" I asked.

She got to her feet glaring at me with a fierce expression. There was something wrong with her eyes. They weren't blue, but purple sort of reminding me of Irises.

"You're constantly getting in the way, Elsa." She growled harshly.

I took a few steps back wanting to give her some space to breathe and pace herself unknowing where this hostility was coming from?

"In the way?" I questioned.

"Something you won't ever do again," She snapped.

Anna was always so bubbly. This change in personality was frightening. She threw up her hands lighting them on fire inhaling a breath. I knew what came next. With a flick of her wrist, a fireball grew large from Anna feeding the flame with her power. In a blink, I threw up a wall of ice in defense between us. It was a thin layer of ice, but as Anna kept showering me with fire, my wall only grew thicker. Anna began to laugh.

"Elsa, this is stupid. You're merely delaying the inevitable."

I could see her reflection cast through the ice fairly well even though the heat had been melting the ice.

"And what is the inevitable, Anna?

"My fire consuming you."

Her voice was callous. I knew this wasn't my sister speaking to me even though it was her own voice. Hearing it, all the same, was hurtful.

"Anna, let me help you. I want to understand." I reasoned.

"There is nothing to understand, Elsa." She practically shouted.

My stomach was in knots by now as my sister resumed her rain of fire blasts and I kept reinforcing with my ice. The heat was overwhelming as beads of sweat dripped down my face even though my ice wall lay between us. Though with all the energy I was putting out, the amount of ice I could get out was starting to dwindle and that showed in my ice wall. It began to grow thin and reshape itself in a curve from Anna's fire. There would soon be a hole. I tried to refreeze as best I could, but I knew I didn't have the strength when blood started to seep from my nose.

"Aw Elsa, you doing okay?" Anna mocked from the other side.

The heat was overwhelming and it was all I could do to try and reinforce the wall, but as my strength waned, Anna's grew. Anna managed to create a small hole as I saw a sort of glowing weapon in her hand. It was if she wielded a sword that was on fire. I tried to cover the hole, but my ice was melting too quickly. Anna raised her arm to strike through the wall aiming toward my gut and I was prepared to take the blow. Though in mere moments, I heard footsteps run down the stairs behind me and I saw a blue cloak whiz by my face as I was shoved to the ground. Elris threw up her hood pinning herself against the wall as I watched a blade of fire pierce through her gut. In and out in seconds. She gasped for air as she fell toward me grabbing her cloak and covering me lying beneath her. I heard Anna laugh as I heard ice shattering.

"Looks like you lost, Elsa. Enjoy your eternal rest. Now nobody can stop my master."

I heard footsteps walk by and go upstairs. Elris and I were alone as she rolled off me taking a knee. My chest was covered in blood and I knew it wasn't mine.

"Elris?" I crawled toward her putting my hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay? Why did you do that?"

She was panting heavily holding her hand to her gut.

"I had to protect you." She said, "This is all my fault."

"Let's get you upstairs and I'll summon a doctor to the palace. You're gonna be okay."

Elris had lost so much blood and due to the raging storm, I wasn't sure a doctor would make it on time. I tried to help her to her feet and Elris cried out in pain as I did so. She collapsed on the ground beside me trying to steady her breathing as her face turned pale.

"Elsa, listen to me. You can't save everyone. It's already begun."

"What are you talking about?"

"Anna chose to be his Siren and will be awakened once she finds enough people."

"Enough people?" I questioned, "Who's he?"

"His name is Rasmus, but he went by another name in life. Raevich."

"The sorcerer?" I answered.

Elris gritted her teeth as she grabbed my hand with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for the part I played, Elsa. Those who grieve are most susceptible to his influence. After my Niklas died, he convinced me to come through time to find you and set you on this path with a warning. This is all my fault and protecting you is how I know I had to make up for it."

"Elris," I muttered, "Raevich is dead."

"Yes, but his spirit lives on as Rasmus influencing people to become his Siren and usher forth people to awaken him."

"And how does that happen?"

Elris pursed her lips.

"By taking their lives." Elris answered, "Your Anna is his newest Siren. His hold runs deep."

"But not impenetrable." I nodded.

"Find Anna before she awakens him otherwise everyone we love will die."

"Let's get you medical attention first," I nodded.

Elris smiled weakly as a single tear slid out of her eye.

"There's no need. I can't feel much of anything anymore."

"Hang on, Elris. You'll be okay."

She squeezed my hand.

"I want to be reunited with Niklas. I'm tired." She paused, "I'm sorry for the part I played."

"I forgive you, Elris." I told her.

Moments later she breathed her last as her hand fell out of my grip and her eyes held their lifeless gaze on me until I closed them. I wiped the tears from my eyes leaning down to kiss Elris on the forehead.

"Thank you for your protection."

I laid the cloak over her body as I rose to my feet to head upstairs and find Niklas. He would be alarmed by the amount of blood on me. I clutched my stomach as I leaned against the wall to steady myself suddenly feeling faint. My breathing was unsteady as I threw my head to the side vomiting.

~Niklas~

The chill in the palace was growing and I was determined to keep prying information from Elsa, though she wasn't entirely cooperative in doing so. I love my wife and will do anything to protect her, even from herself which is why I even decided to imprison her in the first place. I didn't think it would be this hard on me knowing that my wife is under someone else's influence, but it was still her. My mind had been reeling with Elsa's change in behavior, but also what Hans told me about our family. I don't think I was capable of fully processing that right now. All my brothers save for Hans and even our father were gone. It was an emotionally crushing blow and honestly one I wasn't sure I could manage. Putting up a front and a brave face would be a must.

Anna and Hans gave me time alone like I asked, but it only lasted fifteen minutes before a knock was heard on the council room door.

"Niklas, it's me," Hans called through the door.

"Enter, if you must," I replied.

Hans came back in and walked toward me with his hands behind his back standing tall.

"You okay?" He asked.

"I dunno, Hans. Are you okay?" I snapped.

"I just didn't want to leave my brother alone for too long. Grief is a strong emotion and should be handled with care and probably not by oneself."

"Give me time," I muttered, "I just can't believe this is real."

Hans put his hand on my shoulder.

"I know we haven't always been the closest given our age gap, but you're my only brother now and I'd like to maintain a close relationship."

I glanced up at him.

"I can do that and I'd like to." I nodded.

Hans hugged me quickly

"We're gonna be okay." He whispered.

"I know,"

Suddenly I felt something beneath my boots like a shaking or trembling. It wasn't violent shaking or tremor like. Then it stopped.

"Did you feel that?" I asked Hans.

"Yep," He nodded.

The shaking continued beneath our feet. It wasn't an earthquake, but if it was coming from beneath the first floor, that meant something was happening in our prison.

"Elsa," I whispered before taking off with Hans following behind me.

We run downstairs to the prison. The door lock was melted. Anna clearly broke in and I'd have a stern talk with her later. We pushed the door open running down the hallway until we made it to Elsa's cell. There I found her sitting against the wall with a puddle of bile beside her, her irons were broken off, and she glanced up at me.

"N-Niklas." She whispered between tired breaths.

Her blue eyes were clearly seen. Gone was that wicked purple color.

"You're back," I said, kneeling beside her.

"I have to tell you something. It's about Anna." She whispered barely managing to get words out.

"Later, let's get you upstairs,"

Elsa seemed so weak and out of it and I was doing my best to ignore the blood on her. I went to scoop her up before Hans grabbed my arm.

"You sure she's safe?" He questioned.

I shook my arm free glaring at him.

"It's her," I nodded.

"I trust your judgment, but be cautious." Hans replied.

Elsa turned her head vomiting to her side. She looked about ready to pass out as her eyes were barely open anymore. She began to slump over before I caught her picking her up off the ground.

"Hans, summon the doctor now!" I cried.

I moved Elsa upstairs to our bedroom on the second floor. Even fighting the storm outside, the doctor made it to the palace quicker than expected and I was grateful. I explained the state I found her in and he had me leave the room for him to examine her only because I was hovering a bit. I couldn't help it. The doctor was with her for five minutes before he joined me in the hall.

"Well, how is she?" I asked, getting right to the point.

"Be still, your majesty. The queen is perfectly healthy."

"Vomiting doesn't exactly promote being healthy in my mind," I replied.

"Your majesty," He paused, "The queen is expecting a child."